Our Alumni

Alumni Updates

Recent activities and accomplishments of Pacific McGeorge alumni:

Norman E. Allen, '94, was elected to University of the Pacific Board of Regents on July 17, 2014, and will serve a three-year term extending through June 30, 2017. Allen is a senior vice president and partner at Woodruff-Sawyer & Co. in San Francisco. (July 2014)

Ruthe Catolico Ashley, '88, was elected to the American Bar Association (ABA) Board of Governors as a Minority Member-at-Large for a term of 2014-2017 at the ABA's Annual Meeting in Boston, MA on Aug. 12, 2014. (August 2014)

Daniel Barnett, '86, has been appointed professor of law and director of legal writing at the William S. Richardson School of Law, University of Hawaii. (May 2014)

Janene Beronio,' 75, captured 54% of the ballots in a four-way race to secure a seat on the Yolo Superior Court. Beronio was previously commissioner for more than 25 years. (June 2014)

D. James Bjorkman, '08, is a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State. He just completed a tour in Nicaragua as Immigrant Visa Unit Chief and American Citizen Services Unit Chief and is headed to Guyana where he will be the Political and Economic Counselor to the Ambassador. (April 2014)

Patrick Blood, '12, has been named VP, Legal & Business Affairs at Atlas Entertainment. (May 2014)

Donna Brownsey, '87, made the 2014 Capitol Weekly Top 100 list of the most powerful non-elected movers and shakers in California political circles at No. 98 (August 2014)Wayne Bunch, LL.M. '81, has joined DLA Piper in the firm's franchise and distribution practice in its Houston office. He previously practiced at Jackson Walker after operating his own boutique franchisee law office. (January 2014)

Natalie Bustamante, '08, has joined began working as an Associate Attorney for Kennaday, Leavitt & Daponde, PC, as an associate attorney. Bustamante specializes in employment litigation and counseling for employers. (June 2014)

Steven Campora, '83, was honored as the Attorney of the Year by the Consumer Attorneys of California. A partner at the Sacramento firm of Dreyer Babich Buccola Wood Campora, he played a key role in the civil case against PG&E involving the 2010 San Bruno pipeline explosion. (January 2014)

Oscar Cardona, '90, has been named the chief human resources officer at Holiday Retirement, the largest private national operator of senior living communities based in Lake Oswego, Oregon. He had served as a senior HR executive for Nike since 2008. (January 2014)

Jonathan Christianson, '91, LL.M. '95, has joined Boutin Jones Inc. as a shareholder. Previously, he was a founding partner of Mayo & Christianson and in solo practice. (May 2014)

Timothy Cronin, '79 retired from his position with the UC Davis School of Medicine. At UC Davis, Cronin functioned as a public health policy consultant assigned to the lead the completion of the CA Dept of Public Health's Catastrophic Hazard Vulnerability Assessments (HVA) for Pandemic, Firestorm, Earthquake, Tsunami, Radiological, and ARKStorm hazards and to prioritize which of those hazards should be initially addressed. (July 2014)

Dorene D'Adamo, '86, has been re-appointed to the California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley by Go. Jerry Brown, where she has served since 2013. She is a board member of the California State Water Resources Control Board and served on the California Air Resources Board from 1999 to 2013. (June 2013)

Tyler Dahl, '13, has joined Drobny Law Offices Inc., a Sacramento-based firm focusing on estate planning and estate/trust administration, as an associate. (February 2014)

Larenda Delaini, '03, announced her candidacy for the Yolo County Superior Court. She is a deputy attorney general with the California Department of Justice. (January 2014)

Chris Delfino, '93, has founded his own firm, Delfino Madden O'Malley Coyle & Koewler, in Sacramento. Previously, he practiced for many years with Downey Brand LLP as did many of his new partners. (May 2014)

Danielle Douglas, '99, was appointed to the Contra Costa Superior Court by Governor Jerry Brown in July 2014 and joined the bench in late August after concluding her last murder trial as a San Francisco prosecutor. Douglas had previously served as a deputy district attorney in the Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office from 2000 to 2013. (August 2014)

Colleen Flannery, '13, has joined the North Delta Water Agency as the Assistant Manager, and the California Central Valley Flood Control Association as the Assistant Director. (May 2014)

Daniel Flores, '01, was elected as a judge in the San Francisco Superior Court on Nov. 4, 2014. Judge Flores began his term on Jan, 15, 2015.

Rex Frazier, '00, made the 2014 Capitol Weekly Top 100 list of the most powerful non-elected movers and shakers in California political circles at No. 29. (August 2014)

Bryan Freedman, '90, was named one of the most influential entertainment litigators by The Hollywood Reporter for the seventh straight year. A principal at Freedman & Taitelman LLP in Los Angeles, his most recent cases involve singer Alanis Morissette, boxer Mikey Garcia, and TV personality Maria Menounos. (May 2014)

Amanda Gimbel, '08, is serving as president of the Women Lawyers of Sacramento in 2014. She is an associate at the Gavrilov Law Corp. (May 2014)

Nicole Gleason, '98, has formed a new Sacramento firm, King Williams & Gleason LLP, which specializes on environmental, real estate and business law. She was previously a partner at Downey Brand LLP. (February 2014)

George Guthrie, '98, has joined Wilke Fleury Hoffelt Gould & Birney in Sacramento where his practice focuses on real property law. (January 2014)

Bill Hake, '83, founder of Bay Area-based Hake Law, has joined the San Francisco office of national firm Wilson Elser bringing numerous members of his team with him. A veteran defense litigator, he has lectured at Harvard and Stanford. (April 2014)

TimothyHarris, '96, has joined the Seattle City Attorney's Office as Assistant City Attorney. (September 2014)

Michael B. Harper, '93, was appointed to a judgeship in the Trinity County Superior Court by Gov. Jerry Brown. Harper has served as Trinity County District Attorney since 2007. (June 2014)

AnnMichelle Hart, '11, has opened a law office, HartLaw, PLLC, in Seattle, WA. (July 2014)

Tim Healy, '00, announced that he will run for a seat on the Calaveras County Court. A Valley Springs resident, he is a deputy district attorney in San Joaquin County. (January 2014)

Vanessa Hunter, '13, has joined the Demas Law Group as an associate. (February 2014)

JeffHuron, '88, has been appointed to a three-year membership term for the California State Bar's Financial Institutions Committee beginning Sept. 14, 2014. The Financial Institutions Committee, part of the Business Law Section of the California State Bar, tracks legislative and case law developments affecting financial institutions. (September 2014)

Brent Jamison, '00, was appointed the deputy director of the California Department of General Services' interagency support division by Gov. Gerald Brown. (May 2014)

Anand "Lucky" Jesrani, '05, Deputy District Attorney in the Shasta County District Attorney's Office, was part of the prosecution team for a case where the court found Overstock.com to be engaged in false advertising and ordered $6.8 million in civil penalties on Feb. 20, 2014. (February 2014)

Jonathan William Klotsche, '08, has been promoted to senior counsel at Hanson Bridgett LLP in Sacramento. (January 2014)

Adam Knowlton, '96, has joined Loeb & Loeb as senior counsel in the Los Angeles firm's real estate department. He was previously senior vice president and general counsel for Younan Properties Inc. (February 2014)

Alan Laskin, '89, received a jury verdict in oror of clients for $7.4 million dollars and with interest and costs exceeded $11.4 million for negligent repair by auto dealership resulting in paralysis case. (March 2014)

Laura O. Lewis, '97, was appointed general counsel of the Sacramento Municipal Utility District by the SMUD board of directors. She joined the utility's legal office directly out of law school and served as its chief assistant general counsel in 2013. (May 2014)

Amanda MacQueen, '13, has been hired as a Deputy Legislative Counsel at the Office of Legislative Counsel. (February 2014)

Janice Magdich, '97, was named interim city attorney by the Lodi city council. She worked in private practice representing public agencies for seven years and was appointed deputy city attorney in 2004. (February 2014)

Lawrence Manzi, '11 LL.M., made a statement at the UN Security Council debate on UN Mission in Haiti-MINUSTAH on Sept. 11, 2014, in his role as political coordinator at The Permanent Mission of Rwanda to the United Nations. Read. (September 2014)

Linda A. Mathes, '90, has been appointed Chief Counsel and Chief Executive Officer for the State of California's Alcoholic Beverage Control Appeals Board. (February 2014)

Clayton McCarl, '12, has joined the U.S. Navy JAG Corps as a JAGC Attorney. (January 2014)

W. Kearse McGill, '91, was appointed as the Presiding Judge for the Stockton District Office of the Workers' Compensation Appeals Board. Judge McGill was also appointed by the California State Bar Board of Trustees to the Committee on Professional Responsibility and Conduct (COPRAC), which writes ethics advisory opinions for the California State Bar. (July 2014)

Gavin McGrane, '07, was featured as a "2014 Legal Rebel" in the September 2014 issue of the ABA Journal. Read. (September 2014)

Steve Merksamer, '75, made the 2014 Capitol Weekly Top 100 list of the most powerful non-elected movers and shakers in California political circles at No. 67. (August 2014)

Richard Meyer, '78, ran unopposed for the bench in Alpine County. A partner in a general litigation firm for 15 years upon entering the legal profession, he has served as the public defender in both El Dorado and Alpine counties for three decades. (June 2014)

Michelle Nam, '14, has joined the Criminal Defense Practice of The Bronx Defenders in Bronx, NY. (September 2014)

Nancy Park, '97, has been promoted to partner at Best Best & Krieger LLP in Sacramento. (January 2014)

Analea J. Patterson, '03, has been named partner at Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe in the Sacramento office. (February 2014)

Holly Pearson, '91, was appointed deputy secretary and general counsel at the California Government Operations Agency. She has worked in multiple positions at the California Department of Managed Care since 2005. (January 2014)

Tony Perez, '95, has been appointed undersecretary at the California Government Operations Agency by Gov. Jerry Brown. In addition to years of private practice, he has held multiple administrative positions at UC system schools and a private university. (February 2014)

Katherine Pettibone, '06, has been appointed to the California Boating and Waterways Commission. (February 2014)

John Phillips, '91, was selected to Chair the San Francisco office of Paul Hastings LLP. He was previously the Chair of the Litigation Department and has been with the firm for 17 years. His practice focuses on complex litigation. (February 2014)

Grant Puleo, '95, joined Duane Morris LLP 's Real Estate Practice Group as a partner, in the firm's San Diego office. (January 2014)

Jodi Remke, '91, was appointed chair of the California Fair Practices Committee by Gov. Gerald Brown. She has served as the presiding judge of the State Bar Court and a member of that court since 2000. (May 2014)

Jonathan Renner, '96, has been named by Gov. Gerald Brown to the California Court of Appeal, Third Appellate District. Renner has served as Brown's legal affairs secretary for the past four years. (July 2014)

Erin Riley, '03, was named a shareholder at Boutin Jones Inc. where she practices in the Sacramento firm's real estate group. (January 2014)

Katherine A.E. Roe, '12, joined the Sacramento law firm of Haworth, Bradshaw, Stallknecht and Barber, which specializes in Workers' Compensation Defense. (January 2014)

Kevin Rosenberg, '94, has joined Goldberg Lowenstein & Weatherwax LLP (GLW), a California litigation and transactional law firm with a focus on patent, antitrust and business litigation, as General Counsel and Chair of the Government Investigations and White Collar Litigation Group. (March 2014)

Morgan C. Smith, '93 and his firm Cogent Legal announced that Michael Kelleher has joined Morgan C. Smith as a co-owner and manager of the firm. Smith, who founded Cogent Legal in January 2011, sought to partner with Kelleher so that the firm can strengthen its service to trial teams specializing in intellectual property and business litigation. (January 2014)

Summer Smith, '00, has joined the San Francisco office of Archer Norris as a partner. (May 2014)

Stuart Somach, '79, is quoted in the New York Times article, "West's Drought and Growth Intensify Conflict Over Water Rights." Read. (March 2014)

Kaitlyn Sommer, '13,has joined the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania as a Judicial Law Clerk. (January 2014)

Melinda Steuer, '01, won a $925,000 counter-claim for a former Wells Fargo employee in a FINRA case involving a breach of promissory note and wrongful termination. She is a principal in the Law Offices of Melinda Jane Steuer in Sacramento. (March 2014)

Dylan Sullivan, '97, was appointed to an interim judgeship in the El Dorado County Superior Court by Gov. Gerald Brown. After beginning her career as a defense attorney and California Parole Authority hearing officer, she has served as a court commissioner since 2011. (September 2014)

Rochelle Swanson, '03, City of Davis Councilmember & Regional Account Manager at CTI Towers, Inc., was honored as part of Sacramento Business Journal's Women Who Mean Business Class of 2014 at the annual luncheon on June 27, 2014. (June 2014)

Marcus Turner, '04, has joined Radoslovich Krogh PC as a partner Sacramento where he will advise clients on construction law disputes and related claims. (April 2014)

Fred Valdez, '80 has opened a law practice in Anchorage, Alaska with concentrations in family law, estate planning, personal injury, DUI defense, and business disputes. (July 2014)

Stan Van Vleck, '91, has been named Chairman of Downey Brand LLP in Sacramento. (March 2014)

Bryan D. Victor, '03, has been named partner at Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe in the Sacramento office. (February 2014)

Jon Waldie, '83, has retired as chief administrative officer of the Assembly Rules Committee after 17 years in that role. He began his career with the Legislature while attending law school. (May 2014)

Arthur G. Woodward, '89, a partner at Downy Brand, was named chairman of the California Associated General Contractors legal advisory committee. (May 2014)

Edmund Yan, '11, has joined Slater Cosme, a law firm located in Pasadena, CA that specializes in wealth management and business/real estate advisory, as an associate. (March 2014)

Allan Zaremberg, '78, made the 2014 Capitol Weekly Top 100 list of the most powerful non-elected movers and shakers in California political circles at No. 12. In May 2014, Zaremberg wrote an article in the Sacramento Bee, "Viewpoints: Fully funded court system essential to state's economic success." Read. (August 2014)

In Memoriam

William Chapman, '72, died at the age of 70 in St. Augustine, Florida on April 27, 2014. He practiced maritime and labor law in California until moving to St. Croix, Virgin Islands, where he practice for many years in federal courts.

Frank Cook, '69, died on Dec. 28, 2013, at the age of 75 in Las Vegas. He practiced law in both California and Nevada for 35 years.

Jeff Corzine, '84, died at the age of 58 on Jan. 14, 2014, in Folsom. A former president of the El Dorado County Bar Association, he was a personal injury attorney and partner at Adams & Corzine in Folsom.

James Curry, '75, died at the age of 69 on Jan. 9, 2014, in Browns Valley. A former partner at Curry, Vasquez and Hansen in Marysville, he was elected to the Yuba Superior Court in 1997 and served on the bench until his retirement in 2010.

Edward Dannan, '76, died at his home in Reno on Oct. 17, 2013, at age 67 from complications following cholangiocarcinoma surgery that had taken place weeks earlier. A former deputy district attorney in Washoe County, he won election to the Reno Justice Court in 1992 and served 15 years on the bench.

William Garrison, '84, died at the age of 64 in Sacramento on Sept. 1, 2013. A Marine veteran who served in the Vietnam War, he had a lengthy career in the construction business.

James Harrison, '64, died on Jan. 1, 2014, at the age of 87 in Sacramento after a brief illness. He practiced law for more than three decades with Coben, Cooper & Zilaff before ending his career as a solo practitioner.

Kurt Kumli, '87, died on Aug. 2, 2014, after a battle with brain cancer. Judge Kumli served as a Superior Court Judge in Santa Clara County, California. He is the co-author of the nationally recognized Juvenile Law treatise "Sieser & Kumli on California Juvenile Courts" published by LexisNexis. Prior to becoming a Judge, he spent nearly twenty years as a prosecutor in San Jose, California. His surviving family includes his classmate and wife, Sue Gillett, '87, and brother Karl Kumli, '81.

David A. Magnan, '12, died on Aug. 29, 2013, after a long-fought battle with cancer. David is survived by his wife Mariela, and their young daughter Sophia, his parents Ken and Cherise, brother Aaron, and mother-in-law Maria. His accomplishments include Marine Corps Sergeant, road-construction superintendent, and attorney.

Joseph Martin, '57, died on Aug. 12, 2013 at the age of 86 at his home in Ocean Park, WA. He retired February 1988 after serving 22 years on the bench.

Dennis Mathews, '72, died at the age of 77 in Logan, Utah on Aug. 11, 2013. He was a general practitioner in northwestern Utah for more than 40 years.

Robert Milam, '75, died on Feb, 3, 2014, at the age of 75 in Davis after a long illness. He had a distinguished 26-year career with several state agencies and once argued a case for the California Attorney General before the Supreme Court of the United States.

David W. Miller died at the age of 76 on Dec. 20, 2013, in Port Saunders, Newfoundland. A former assistant U.S. attorney, he was a member of the faculty for 25 years until his retirement in 2006, teaching Evidence, Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure. Miller served as interim Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in the early '90s, presided over the law school's Order of the coif Chapter for a decade, and helped overhaul the Appellate Advocacy program.

Douglas Miller, '82, died on Nov. 4, 2013, after a long battle with colon cancer at the age of 65 in Carmichael. His legal career included service as the director of human resources for Crystal Creamery, solo labor law practice in Fair Oaks, and labor analyst with the Sacramento Regional Transit District.

Jock Penn, '78, died after a lengthy illness on Oct. 3, 2013, at the age of 71 in Shawano, Wisconsin. Although a member of the State Bar of California, he did not practice law while enjoying a long career with the U.S. Postal Service in California.

Craig Pridgen, '73, died on Jan. 15, 2014, at the age of 68 in Woodland. He practiced law with firms in Mountain View, Bakersfield, Beverly Hills and San Francisco before opening a private practice in Tahoe City.

Cynthia Pyzel, '78, died on Dec. 17, 2013, at the age of 60 in Reno. After several years in private practice, she joined the Nevada Attorney General's Office serving agencies within the Department of Health and Human Services until her retirement 25 years later in 2011.

Kenneth Ray, '80, LL.M. '85, died at the age of 58 in Fresno on May 5, 2014. He practiced real estate law for many years, was a published author, political talk show host, and university adjunct professor.

Lynn Rohwer, '88, died on Oct. 31, 2013, after a long illness at the age of 72 in Woodland. An active member of the Evening Division, she attended law school while raising four children. After a clerkship with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, she practiced law for several years representing low-income clients. Her widower, Claude Rohwer, is a professor emeritus of the Pacific McGeorge faculty.

Samantha Spangler, '89, died at the age of 49 in Auburn after a long battle with progressive supranuclear palsy on April 10, 2014. She was an assistant U.S. attorney who was honored in 1999 with a Director's Award from Attorney General Janet Reno.

Tony Stathos, '63, died at the age of 85 on Dec. 15, 2013, in Sacramento. After a career an Air Force pilot and 10 years as an elementary school teacher, he practiced law for 45 years before his retirement in 2000.

Sharon C. Stevens, '77, died at age 66 on July 7, 2014 in Oregon. Stevens began her law career in the Marion County District Attorney's office as a Deputy D.A. She later moved into private practice, spending the last 20 years as a partner in Callahan & Stevens with her husband Michael Callahan.

John Tosney, '80, died on Jan. 11, 2014, of a heart attack at the age of 62 while vacationing in Costa Rica. A well-known Sacramento attorney, he operated a sole practice in bankruptcy law for more than three decades.

Roger Whomes, '85, died on Jan. 28, 2014, at the age of 58 in Reno. He was a busy prosecutor in the Washoe County District Attorney's Office for 18 years with a three-year hiatus in private practice. He later moved to the county Public Defender's Office.